Artist&#39;s easel



Jan. 12, 1965 H. ROSE ARTIST'S EASEL.

Filed April 30, 1962 United States Patent 3,165,367 1 ,ARTISTS EASEL Herman Rose, 49 Greenwich Ave., New York, NY.

Filed Apr. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 191,098

- 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-231) vThis invention relates to an artists easel for holding paint canvases and, more particularly, to an improved easel of compact and portabledesign for ready transportation to an outdoor painting site. Conventional artists easels typically comprise a foldable or collapsible structure having an A-frameforsupporting the paint canvas with an additional leg extending to the rear of the frame toprovide a tripod support for the easel. When it is desired to transport an easel of such type to another site for painting, the easel is collapsed into a bundle by folding the third leg back against the plane of the A-frame and closing the front legs up together in the manner of a pair of scissors. The easel must then be lifted by the one doing the painting and physically carried to the next location. The canvas, as well as the various painters supplies, including brushes, oils, palette board, etc., must be carried separately as their is usually no provision for storing or attaching these materials anywhere on the easel.

- Since it is not unusual for anToutdoor painting site to be located in a remote location accessible onlyby foot, the lack of a suitable vehicle for carrying the necessary supplies limits the artist in the amount, size, and .weight of paint materials which he may feasibly carry with him while traveling to the site. In any event, the burden of carrying the weight of the easel, generally borne on his shoulders as he travels to the site 0n.foot, causes the artist to tire quickly, thus diminishing his enthusiasm for painting and dissipating the creative energies required for his artistic task.

' The present invention overcomes the above described difiiculties associated with prior art devices by providing a novel type of easel which may be quickly collapsed into the form of a tow cart for ready transportation 'to another site. For accomplishing this last-mentioned objective, the easel is provided with wheel-and-axle means which are rigidly restrained from rotation while the easel is in a stationary mode, during which it is used for painting, but which permits the easel to be readily carried to another site while in a transportation mode by towing or pushing it along.

As an additional feature the easel of the present invention is provided in a preferred embodiment with a boxshaped container having a plurality of compartments for storing various artists supplies, such as paint brushes, oils, additional canva-ses,and the like. Since the weight of the easel and painting supplies is carried on wheels, which present virtually negligible rolling friction, rather than on the shoulders or back of the artist, a great quantity of canvas and other materials may be easily transported to an outdoor painting site of even remote location, without imposing undue strains on the artists energies.

Furthermore, the easel of the present invention has an extremely compact configuration when collapsed into the transportation mode such thatthe easel itself, as well as a large amount of paint supplies contatined therein, mayxbe conveniently stored in a relatively small space;

Another principal feature of the'easel proposed herein is its provision for supporting the palette board, on which the oil paints are daubed by the artist preparatory to applying them to the canvas,from the easel structure and at anadju'stable height such that both hands of the artist are free.

Other novel features, objectives, and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following de- I right. position while the easel is in use.

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tailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an easel according to the present invention set up in a stationary mode for painting;

FIG. '2 is a side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the compartment for storing paint materials retracted into the closed position;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the easel embodiment shown in FIG. 1 collapsed into a transportation mode for towing to'another site; and i FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of exemplary means for clamping the'rearward leg of the easel into a fixed position while the easel is in the. stationary mode.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown therein abox-shaped housing 30, supported above the ground at the front by a pair of bracing legs 32and at the rear by wheels 14 and axle assembly 15. In the stationary mode, the easel structure is maintained in a steady position by applying a brake (not shown) to the wheels 14 and then by extending the bracing legs 32 and adjusting tightening screws 33 until the easel is on an even keel. The box housing 3!) isdivided into a plurality of compartments for storing various paint supplies, and, as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, there is included a receptacle 38 for storing mounted canvas frames, and a slideable drawer 35 for storing paint brushes, oils, etc. The drawer 35 preferably has a tray 36 comprising a wire mesh or coiled spring arrangement for carrying paint brushes in an up- The drawer 35 may be slid back within the box housing 30 and'door 34 then closed and latched during storage or transportation of the easel. If desired, a plurality of drawers similar to 35 may be provided within the box housing 30 to carry additionalartists implements.

Projecting above the rear edge of the box housing 30 is an inverted U-shaped frame member 10 of metal tubing comprising a pair of side elements, each divided into 3 respective telescopable sections 10a, 10b, 10c, and a top portion 11 which acts as a tow bar handle. By tightening of respective compression rings 13a,.13 b, associated with side elements of the U-shaped frame member 10, the frame may be firmly locked in the extended position shown while the easel is being used for painting. Conversely, loosening of the compression rings 13a, 13b, permits the side elements to be telescoped down inside each other, and the overall height of the frame reduced to that shown in FIG. 3, which illustrates the easel in the transportation mode ready for towing or storage.

Supported approximately intermediate of the height of the easel is a removable palette board 50 on which oil paints may be daubed and mixed. The palette board 50 is carried at one edge by a pair of finger assemblies 52, projecting from the middle element 10b of the respective side portions of the frame 10 and adjustably positionable along the, length thereof by tightening screws 53. The middle of the palette board 50 rests on a palette support 44, carried within a pair of guides 40 which are pivotally secured to the front edge of the box housing 30 by respective hinges 45. In the position shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the palette support 44 is inserted by its top edge into a spring clip 51 attached to the bottom of the palette board 50 and is rigidly locked to the guides 40 by tightening screws 41; These screws permit thepalette support 44 to be adjusted accordingly as the height of the palette board 50 is variedby sliding of the finger assemblies 52 along the length of the frame 10 of the easel. In the transportation mode of the easel (shown in FIG. 3) the palatte support 44 acts as a cover by slid- 1 ing it down to .the base of the guides 40, which then are pivoted through right angles, and latching it to close the A top of the box housing 30.

Carried on the uppermost of the three elements on each side of the frame 10, and above the palette board 50,. is

l a horizontally-disposed channel member 60 for supporting the lower edge of a canvas.. This channel member is maintained at an adjustable distance from the frame, depending upon the artists particular preference, by a pair of arm projections 61 which are secured to the respective side sections 100 by an associated pair of fastening assemblies 62 and tightening screws 63.

Near the tow bar handle or top section 11 of the inverted U-shaped frame member is disposed a cross bar member 12. A pair of tightening screws 84 are threaded through the respective ends of this cross bar which cooperatively engage corresponding longitudinal slots 82 in the side arm portions of a second inverted U-shaped member 80. To the top portion of the element 80 there is attached by flange means 72 a second channel member 70 for re ceiving the upper edge of the canvas. Through the adjustable means provided by the tightening screws 84. and the slots 82 the extension and angular position of the upper channel member 70 may be varied readily for adaptation of the easel tocanvases of various sizes and for altering the degree of tilt of the canvas desired by the artist.

Secured by a free-turning T section22 to the middle of the cross bar member 12 and depending downwardly therefrom is a tubular support leg 20, comprising three telescopable sections Zita, Zeb, and 29c, for providing additional rigidity to the easel. In the stationary mode of the easel, the leg member is extended to near its fullest length, with its sections locked together by respective compression rings 23a, 23b, and restrained at a fixed angle with respect to the easel assembly. The fixed angle between the rear leg 20 and the easel assembly is maining 30 to be freely swingable in a vertical plane. As is best shown in FIG. 4, a suitable clamping means 25 for engaging the support leg 20 to the support bar 26 com prises a, horseshoe-shaped latch '28 having leg portions which pass through a slotted plate 27. The nature of the locking action may be understood by referring back to FIG. 2, where it may be seen that inward travel of the adjustment screw 29 in thelatch 28 serves to press the interposed legmember 20 firmly against the plate 27. The curled arms of the latch 28 in turn engage around the central portion of the support bar 26 from underneath, thus producing a clamping action which rigidly restra-ins the support leg 20 fromrrotation about its T-section pivot 22.

FIG. 3 shows the easel in its transportation mode when it is in compacted form for either towing to a painting site or for storage. The easel is disassembled from the stationary mode by physical removal from frame member 10 of the palette board 50, lower channel member 60, and upper channel member 70, and the insertion of these elements of the easel assembly into appropriate compartments in the box housing 30. The top of the box housing is closed over by the palette support board 44 in the manner previously described. The-side elements 10a,

10b, 10c of the inverted U-shaped tubular frame section 10 are telescoped within each other and locked in this closed position by tightening of the respective compression rings 13a, 13b. The length of the rearward leg member 20 is compressed, by'telescoping its respective sections 20a, 20b, 200, within each other, after first loosen} ing the fastening assembly 25, and swinging it inward to lie fiat'against the back of the box housing 30, where it may then be latched thereto by any suitable means, such as a strap (not shown). 1 Tightening screws 84 are next loosened and element 80 is, swung backward and downward about its slots 80 to the position shown in FIG. 3, Where it m y t n b g l s cur y against th b ck of the box housing 30 and the interposed leg member 20 by re-tightening of screws 84.

In-this transportation mode the overall height of the easel structure is reduced to approximately one-third of its extended length when the easel is being used for painting, and corresponds generally to the form of a towable cart, similar to that used in carrying golf clubs or groceries while shopping. In this compact configuration the easel may be readily and easily transported to remote sites for painting by' pulling or pushing it along through means of the top portion 11" of the frame member 10 which serves as a handle ortow bar for the easel. As the weight of the ease] and the associated paint supplies, canvas boards, etc., rests entirely on the wheels 14, the only eifort required to carry the easel about is that necessary to overcome the relatively small amount of rolling friction presented by the wheel-and-axle means.

The terms and expressions whichhave been employed here are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described, or'portions thereof, it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable artists easel comprising, a box-like container having a plurality of compartments for storing painting materials, rolling wheel-and-axle means on the bottom of said container for carrying said easelin a transportation mode, apair of height-variable leg members depending from the bottom of said container for sup porting said easel in a stationary mode, an inverted U- shaped frame membervertically extending above the top of said container to variable height, a palette horizontally disposed from vertical portions of said frame member and adapted to be secured at a plurality of points along the.

length thereof, a first horizontally-disposed channel member supported from the top of said'frame memben'said channel member being flanged for receiving the top edge of a canvas, a second horizontally-disposed channel member supported from said vertical portions of said frame member and below said'first channel member, said second channel-member being adapted for receiving the bottom edge of said canvas, and an extendable'member depending from said frame member and projecting rearwardly of said container, said extendable member together with said leg members providing a tripod support for said easel in said stationary mode. V

2. The combination set forth in claim lincluding a handle grip connected to the top of said frame member for towing said easel along in said transportation mode.

3. A portable artists easel comprisin a container for storing painting supplies, wheel-and-axle means on the bottom of said containerfor carrying said easel in a transportation mode, a pair of height-variable'leg members depending fromthe bottom of said container for supporting said easel on an even'keel in a stationary mode, an inverted U-shaped frame member vertically extending above the top of said container to variable height, a palette horizontally disposed from vertical portions of said frame memberand adapted to be secured ata plurality of points along the length thereof, and canvas-holding means comprising apairof horizontally-disposed channel members adjustably spaceable in both horizontal and vertical dimensions and adapted to be secured to said frame member.

4. A portable artists easel comprising, a container for storing painting supplies, height-variable canvas bearing means supported above said container and comprising a pair of horizontally-disposed channel members adjustably spaceable and secured to an inverted U-shaped frame 5 6 the bottom of said container for securely positioning said 2,680,932 6/54 Rotschild 312231 easel on an even keel in a stationary mode. 2,710,759 6/55 Bayer 280-47 .33 2,778,704 1/57 Joachim 312-280 X References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 I FOREIGN PATENTS D. 193,665 9/62 Rosenfeld 29-20 1203432 1,069,879 8/13 Deeney 312-231 1,391,491 9/21 0,130 men "240461 ANK RY, m ry x r- 2,303,307 4 50 Dolas 3 1 10 CHANCELLOR E. I-LARRIS, Examiner. 

4. A PORTABLE ARTIST''S EASEL COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR STORING PAINTING SUPPLIES, HEIGHT-VARIABLE CANVAS BEARING MEANS SUPPORTED ABOVE SAID CONTAINER AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY-DISPOSED CHANNEL MEMBERS ADJUSTABLY SPACEABLE AND SECURED TO AN INVERTED U-SHAPED FRAME MEMBER VERTICALLY EXTENDING ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID CON- 